Lesson 2: The Disinformers

YALI Network

29 Sept 202205:17

Summary

TLDRThis video lesson, produced by the U.S. Department of State, explores the role of disinformers in spreading false information. It highlights how disinformation is disseminated by various entities, including governments, businesses, and individuals, often exploiting emotions and psychological biases. Disinformers use tactics such as repetition and confirmation bias to convince people of partially or wholly untrue narratives, which can result in dangerous real-world consequences. The lesson emphasizes the importance of understanding these tactics to counter disinformation effectively and protect freedoms and human rights.

Takeaways

📚 Disinformation is a tool used to create discord and can be intimidating, but understanding it can empower communities.
👤 Disinformation is spread by a variety of entities and individuals, including governments, political parties, businesses, individuals, and bots.
🌐 Motivations for spreading disinformation are diverse, ranging from ideological to political to financial gains.
📈 Disinformation is spread through various mediums such as text, memes, GIFs, photos, audio, and video, both online and offline.
🎯 The goal of disinformation is to convince people to believe in something that is wholly or partially untrue.
🧠 Disinformers exploit psychological vulnerabilities and emotions, often promoting divisive topics to create anxiety, anger, and confusion.
💊 Disinformation can have real-world impacts, such as influencing people to take dangerous actions or avoid safe ones.
📊 Disinformers use technology and social media platforms to spread disinformation, often creating content that appears credible.
🔁 A common tactic is repetition, where the same narrative is shared across platforms to reach a larger audience and gain credibility.
🔄 Confirmation bias is exploited by disinformers to favor information that supports existing beliefs or predispositions.
🌍 Disinformation has destructive effects on communities and can spread across international borders, impacting human rights and freedoms.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the lesson titled 'The Disinformers'?
-The lesson focuses on understanding the entities and individuals, known as disinformers, who spread disinformation and the methods they use to disseminate it.
Who wrote the lesson on disinformation?
-The lesson was written by Jacobo Licona, the CEO and founder of JL Research, a firm specializing in research on disinformation and misinformation.
What kind of media does disinformation typically use to spread?
-Disinformation is spread through various media including text, memes, GIFs, photos, audio, and video.
How do disinformers exploit psychological vulnerabilities?
-Disinformers exploit psychological vulnerabilities by tapping into emotions and promoting divisive topics to create anxiety, anger, frustration, and confusion.
What are the real-world impacts of disinformation mentioned in the script?
-Real-world impacts of disinformation can include leading people to take dangerous medications or avoid safe and effective vaccines, and even inciting acts of violence or political unrest.
How do disinformers use technology and social media to their advantage?
-Disinformers use technology and social media platforms to spread disinformation by creating engaging content that appears credible and by building a presence that resembles real news sources.
What is the significance of repetition as a tactic used by disinformers?
-Repetition is used by disinformers to share the same post or narrative across platforms to reach a larger audience, which can lead to increased credibility and belief in the disinformation.
What is confirmation bias and how do disinformers use it?
-Confirmation bias is the tendency to favor or accept information that supports our existing beliefs. Disinformers exploit this by creating narratives that align with and reinforce the fears and suspicions of a community.
How does disinformation affect communities and why is it important to understand it?
-Disinformation can have destructive effects on communities by spreading across borders and undermining trust. Understanding disinformers and their tactics is crucial for countering disinformation and protecting freedoms and human rights.
What is the next step recommended for individuals to combat disinformation?
-The next step is to learn about best practices for identifying and countering disinformation, which will be covered in the subsequent lessons.
Where can one find more information about this course and related resources?
-Additional information about the course and related resources can be found on the U.S. Department of State's website.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Introduction to Disinformation and the Disinformers

This paragraph introduces the lesson on understanding and countering disinformation, with a focus on 'The Disinformers.' It recaps the previous lesson's key points about the nature of disinformation and its effects on communities. The lesson is authored by Jacobo Licona, CEO of JL Research, a firm specializing in strategic consulting on disinformation. Jacobo has significant experience in researching disinformation, having worked with major political campaigns and been featured in prominent media outlets. Disinformation is spread by diverse actors, including governments, political groups, and individuals, often with different motivations like politics, ideology, or profit. The paragraph highlights various formats used for disinformation, including text, memes, GIFs, and videos, both online and offline, and stresses the danger posed by disinformers' manipulation of emotions and psychological vulnerabilities.

05:02

⚠️ Tactics and Dangers of Disinformation

This section discusses the tactics used by disinformers, particularly their exploitation of psychological vulnerabilities such as fear and confirmation bias. Disinformers manipulate emotions like anxiety, anger, and frustration to create division and confusion. The real-world effects can be severe, such as people taking dangerous medical advice or engaging in violent actions. Disinformers often use technology and social media platforms to amplify their messages, using strategies like content repetition to make falsehoods appear credible. Another significant tactic is confirmation bias, where disinformers craft narratives that align with existing beliefs or fears, thus reinforcing misconceptions. The paragraph illustrates how disinformation, when unchecked, can harm communities, influence political actions, and undermine freedoms and human rights.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Disinformation

Disinformation refers to false or misleading information deliberately spread to deceive people. In the video, it is described as a tool used by various actors like governments, political parties, and corporations to create discord or manipulate public opinion. This aligns with the video’s focus on understanding and countering disinformation to protect communities from its harmful effects.

💡Disinformers

Disinformers are individuals or groups who actively spread disinformation. These actors include governments, political parties, businesses, and even bots, all motivated by various reasons such as political gain, ideological influence, or profit. The video highlights that disinformers exploit emotional vulnerabilities to manipulate people's beliefs and actions, often leading to harmful real-world consequences.

💡Psychological Vulnerabilities

Psychological vulnerabilities refer to emotional or cognitive weaknesses that disinformers exploit to influence people's thoughts and behaviors. The video explains that disinformers tap into emotions like fear, anger, or confusion, promoting divisive topics to generate anxiety and manipulate individuals or groups into taking harmful actions, such as rejecting vaccines or engaging in violence.

💡Repetition

Repetition is a tactic used by disinformers to spread false information by repeatedly sharing the same narrative across multiple platforms. The video explains how this tactic increases the likelihood of people believing in disinformation as the content gains credibility through repeated exposure. This tactic exploits the human tendency to trust information that seems familiar.

💡Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias is the tendency to favor information that aligns with one's pre-existing beliefs or values. Disinformers exploit this by crafting messages that resonate with a target audience's fears or suspicions. In the video, this is illustrated through examples like using fear of authoritarianism to influence communities that have suffered under such regimes.

💡Social Media

Social media platforms are used by disinformers as tools to disseminate false information widely and rapidly. The video discusses how disinformers use these platforms to create content that mimics credible news sources, making it easier to deceive users. The manipulation of social media networks amplifies the reach of disinformation, making it harder to control.

💡Technology

Technology plays a key role in the spread of disinformation, as it allows disinformers to create and share content quickly and efficiently across different media. The video emphasizes that disinformers are skilled at using modern technological tools to produce engaging content, making their false narratives appear credible, particularly through advanced audio, video, and text manipulation.

💡Divisive Topics

Divisive topics are issues that provoke strong emotional responses, such as political conflicts or social tensions. Disinformers use these topics to polarize societies and create discord. The video highlights how exploiting divisive topics leads to the amplification of anxiety and frustration, fueling conflicts within communities and even leading to violence.

💡International Borders

The spread of disinformation is not limited to national boundaries; it crosses international borders, affecting global communities. The video explains how disinformation spreads through different channels, both online and offline, impacting societies worldwide. This underscores the importance of international cooperation in countering the disinformation threat.

💡Real-world Impacts

Real-world impacts refer to the tangible, often harmful consequences of believing and acting on disinformation. The video gives examples such as people taking dangerous medications, rejecting vaccines, or engaging in political violence. This highlights how disinformation can influence not only individual behavior but also large-scale societal actions, with serious repercussions.

Highlights

Disinformation is spread by a variety of groups, including governments, political parties, businesses, and individuals, some coordinated and some acting alone.

Disinformation is disseminated across many formats, such as text, memes, GIFs, photos, audio, and video, and is shared both online and offline.

A disinformer’s primary goal is to convince people to believe something that is wholly or partially untrue.

Disinformers exploit psychological vulnerabilities, tapping into emotions like fear, anxiety, and anger to create division and confusion.

Disinformation can lead to real-world consequences, including violence, dangerous medical decisions, and attempts to undermine democracy.

Disinformers often use repetition to spread the same narrative across multiple platforms, increasing its credibility and reach.

The tactic of confirmation bias is frequently used, where disinformation aligns with existing values and beliefs, reinforcing misconceptions.

Disinformers may create narratives that exploit the fears of certain communities, such as the fear of a return to authoritarianism.

Disinformation spreads across international borders, impacting communities globally.

Social media platforms and other technologies are key tools for disinformers to spread their content widely.

Disinformers often mimic the appearance of legitimate news sources, creating engaging and professional-looking content.

One of the most dangerous outcomes of disinformation is inciting people to take actions based on false information, such as engaging in violence or rejecting vaccines.

Disinformation campaigns can be ideologically driven, politically motivated, or simply for profit.

Understanding disinformers and the disinformation they spread is crucial for countering these threats and protecting freedoms and human rights.

In the next lesson, the course will provide best practices for identifying and countering disinformation.